Relative Terrain Height DEM transform for the mid-Juruá region, Brazilian Amazon
Data files
Jan 30, 2026 version files 219.61 MB
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midJurua_GLO-30_RTH_UTM19S_30m_32bit.tfw
222 B
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midJurua_GLO-30_RTH_UTM19S_30m_32bit.tif
219.60 MB
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README.md
2.28 KB
Abstract
The Relative Terrain Height (RTH) is a novel DEM transform that facilitates 1) minimizing regional terrain height differences when comparing elevations of distal floodplain features; 2) optimizing terrain data for input to image segmentation algorithms; and 3) delineating boundaries of terrain features such as floodplains, fluvial terraces, interfluvial flats, and hillslopes. An example of RTH is given for a 2° x 2° area including the mid-Juruá region of the Brazilian Amazon, derived from the Copernicus GLO-30 Digital Elevation Model (DEM), at a resolution of 30m. The transform is based on differencing versions of the input DEM at 30 m (the original resolution) and 3000 m (resampled again to 30 m). The resulting RTH layer reflects the height of a feature relative to its surroundings, while retaining the detail of the original DEM, and the transform can easily be produced using any image processing software. The RTH is provided in GeoTIFF format. The input data set used to produce the RTH data product was the Copernicus WorldDEM-30.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.wstqjq314
Description of the data and file structure
The Relative Terrain Height (RTH) digital elevation model (DEM) transform was developed to facilitate terrain type mapping, land cover mapping, and analysis of floodplain forest structure in relation to floodplain topography in the mid-Juruá region (western Brazilian Amazon). RTH is a relative measure, in meters, of DEM height relative to the surrounding terrain. The RTH dataset is for a 2° x 2° area extending from 4° - 6° S to 66° - 68° W. The work was carried out under grants from the Belmont Forum (via the U.S. National Science Foundation) and Fondation BNP Paribas (via Institut de Recherche pour le Développement).
Files and variables
File: midJurua_GLO-30_RTH_UTM19S_30m_32bit.tfw
Description: Standard GeoTIFF header file for midJurua_GLO-30_RTH_UTM19S_30m_32bit.tif
File: midJurua_GLO-30_RTH_UTM19S_30m_32bit.tif
Description: Relative Terrain Height (RTH) product for study area including the mid-Jurua region (Brazilian Amazon) in GeoTIFF format
File format: Single-band GeoTIFF, 32-bit
File size: 7418 columns X 7399 rows
Coordinate reference system name: EPSG:32719 - WGS 84 / UTM zone 19S (Universal Transverse Mercator)
Coordinate reference system units: meters
Pixel size: 30 m
Upper left UTM 19S coordinate: 610669.566E, 9557830.0S
Data value units: meters
Data value meaning: Relative Terrain Height in meters (height relative to surrounding terrain, using the RTH transform described in the Methods section).
Data range: -40.2057 to 39.7468 meters
Code/software
The GeoTiff files can be viewed with free software such as QGIS. The final product is derived using generic image processing functions such as image resizing and image co-registration, as described in the Methods.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- N/A
Data was derived from the following sources:
- The RTH data product was produced using Copernicus WorldDEM-30. The Copernicus GLO-30 DEM can be downloaded at https://doi.org/10.5270/ESA-c5d3d65
The Copernicus GLO-30 DEM (https://doi.org/10.5270/ESA-c5d3d65; obtained 2020-11-20) was downloaded for the region 3.5° - 6.5° S to 65.5° - 68.5° W, and transformed to the Universal Transverse Mercator projection (UTM Zone 19S) at 30 m resolution; a buffer of 0.5° was added from adjoining tiles to avoid creation of artifacts at the boundaries of the study region, which extends from 4° - 6° S to 66° - 68° W. The 30 m DEM was resampled to 3000 m pixels (i.e., by a factor of 100) using weighted average resampling, then resampled back to 30 m using cubic convolution resampling. The original 30 m layer and the twice-resampled layer were next co-registered, and the twice-resampled layer was subtracted from the original DEM. The resulting Relative Terrain Height (RTH) layer was then cropped to the original DEM tile extent.